Electric railroad-signal.



" No'. 895,035. l

ELECTRIC` nnrnnonn-sIGNIAL.l

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, ARTHUR WELLING- TON MCMAUGH and ROBERT WELCH, both of the city of St. Catherines, in the county of Lincoln, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Im rovementsl in Electric Railroad- Signals, o which the following is the speci.- fication.

Our invention relates to improvements l in electric signals for railroads, and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap, positively acting device, whereby the engineers or conductors .of any train on the track may be ap irised immediately when he comes within the block or zone occupied by another train whether the trains be approaching each' other from opposite direction or running in the same direction.

A further object is to enable the engineer or conductor to signal each other in the trains, which are approaching, so as to indicate in which direct1on the trains are going and thus further obviate any danger of collision.

To carry out these objects our invention l consists of a track provided with a sectional center rail, 'which extends from end to end of the danger zone, and engines or other motors each of which is provided with a contact shoe spring-held against 'the third rail, an electric circuit havin@ a bell and switch and circuit changer ali operatively arranged in series and connected tothe axle of the carat one end and to the 'slice at the opposite end, so that when two engines or motors are inthe danger zone these electrical apparatus. are in series, the parts being arranged and constructed in detail as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1, is a plan view showing diagrammatically two engines or motors on a track within the danger zone. Fig. 2, is a scctional elevation. Fig;n 3, is a cross section showing the contact of the shoe with the third rail.

4In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each gure.

A A are the ordinary rails of the track. B is a center sectional rail, which is referably anV ordinary rail reversed and eld in suitable brackets C, the iiange being uppermost.

The rails A are connected by suitable y Specification of Letters Patent.

Application ledDeeember 3, 1906. Serial No. 346,148.

means from end to end, so as to form a path for the electric current.

, D is a semi-elliptical spring attached to a cross beam E secured to the bottom of the body of the locomotive or other motor-car. The beam E is suitably insulated.

F is a shoe, which is turned up at each end and is provided with an' up enplate F', both plates being secured to tlie center of the spring D.

G' are the axles of the wheels.

H is a brush running against the sleeve I attached to the axle G.

J is a wire leading from a binding ost on the shoe F to and through a ong I being connected to the lever switch The Wire J extends from theswitch L to a binding post 2 on the plate M, which forms one of the parts ot,V the pole changer, the opposite end of which also consists of a plate M having a binlding ost 2', which is connected by a Wire Jf to t 1e brush H.

J2 is a. wire leading from one late M to the ojther and having in its pat the battery 3.

N is the pole changer, the ends of which are designed tofbe brou ht in contactalternately with the plates l\ and M. The pole changer N is provided with a suit-able handle N and is journaled in suitable bearings as indicated. It is also essential that the pole changer-be manipulated' so as to change the polarity of the battery in the cab to correspond to the polarity of the battery in the cab of the approaching train and it neces saril'y7 follows that at the end of each run the locomotive or cab or car will have to have the polarity of the battery changed prior to its startingalong the track in the opposite direction. y

It will now be noticed especially on reference to Fig. 1, that as soon as two trains or Patented AugA, 1908.

car and G the f STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT WELCH, or sr. CATHERINES, oNTARro, Q CANADA.

cars get on the sa ie rail or track, that the passage of the current is from the shoes through the Wire J switch L battery and pole changer along the wireJ throu h the brush H to the axle G, thence by the w eels G and rails A to the wheel G of thecab of the locomotive or motor car on the same danger zone,\thence by the brush H wire J circuit plate ivf-batteries switch L and gong and Wire J to the shoe F and rail B, whereby the circuit is completed.

It will thus be seenthat l i V immediately p tanins get on to the danger zone, that e portion of the track pr0- vided With t'liegfiienter rail B, that the other engine or car likewise be apprised of the saine by the of the gongs K.

lnorder to insure that the engineer of the approaching trrinf`\1iay know which way suchv tram is gcigglie swltch L may be thrown out as oitenasdesned to give the desued signal to the engineer or conduct-or of the approachingr @s to the whereabouts of such trainsWlt/ch in electrical connectioxfwith the shoe, an electrical connection with the wheel of the car, a battery, an oscillating'pole changer connected to the poles of the battery and c nnen-ting the Wheel connection and switch c nnection.

gil In an electric -signalin apparatus, the combination with a track, o a sectional center rail, a spring secured to the bottom of the car, a shoe carried by said spring and contacting with the third rail, an alarm, and a. sfywitch in electric connection with said shoe, a plate )I in elec-tric connection with the switch, a second plate M', a rotary piece N having secured to each end thereof a plate adapted to engage the platesM and M respec-tively and having connected thereto a battery, substantially as described. c l

ARTHUR WELLINGTON MCMAUGH.

l ROBERT WELCH.

Witnesses: B, BYD. 

